friendship group was established with parliament members and senators of France. In October 2014, a parliamentary friendship group was established between Artsakh and the European Parliament. In October 2017, parliamentary friendship groups were established with both the Parliament of Wallonia and Flemish Parliament in Belgium. On 19 March 2019, an Artsakh-Canada Friendship Group was established between the National Assembly of Artsakh and the House of Commons of Canada. On 1 August 2019, an Artsakh-Australia Friendship Group was established between Artsakh and various Australian politicians including Federal Parliament Senators and Ministers, as well as the Premier of the State of New South Wales. On 8 December 2019, Artsakh National Assembly Speaker Ashot Ghulyan received First Vice President of Guatemala’s Congress, Felipe Alejos Lorenzana. The sides discussed establishing inter-parliamentary ties. In June 2020, a parliamentary friendship group was established between the Republic of Artsakh and members of the Parliament of Cyprus. International organisation participation The Republic of Artsakh is a member of one international organization, the Community for Democracy and Human Rights, also commonly known as the Commonwealth of Unrecognized States. The Republic of Artsakh also maintains contacts with the OSCE Minsk Group established in 1992 by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Artsakh. In October 2017, the President of Artsakh, Bako Sahakyan visited the European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA) headquarters in Belgium. A number of issues were discussed including relations between Artsakh and the EU. The President thanked EuFoA for reinforcing ties between Artsakh and various pan-European structures. In March 2019, the Speaker of the National Assembly (Artsakh), Ashot Ghulian met with European Parliament members in Brussels, during which he explored opportunities to include Artsakh in European Union programs. The Speaker also highlighted the necessity to maintain and promote cooperation between the two sides. Artsakh officials also have regular contact with the Council of Europe. In October 2019, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, held a number of meetings with high-ranking officials of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Possible areas of cooperation between Artsakh and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as well as the need to ensure international engagement of unrecognized states was discussed. International conventions In addition to the above, Artsakh is also a signatory to several international conventions and treaties, including: International Covenant on